“Who is more unjust than one who lies about Allah and denies the truth when it comes to him? Is there not an abode in Hell for the disbelievers? (32) But the one who brings the truth and confirms it—they are the God-fearing. (33) They will have whatever they wish with their Lord. That is the reward of those who do good: (34) so that Allah may erase from them the worst of what they did and reward them according to the best of what they used to do. (35) Is Allah not sufficient for His servant? Yet they seek to frighten you with those besides Him. And whoever Allah leaves astray will have no guide. (36)”
His saying, exalted is He, “Who is more unjust than one who lies about Allah,” by claiming that He has a child or a partner, “and denies the truth,” meaning the Quran, “when it comes to him? Is there not an abode,” a dwelling and place of residence, “in Hell for the disbelievers?” This is a rhetorical question intended as an affirmation.
“And the one who brings the truth and confirms it.” 106/b Ibn Abbas said: “The one who brings the truth” means the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, who brought the declaration that there is no god worthy of worship but Allah; “and confirms it” means that the Messenger also conveyed it to creation. Al-Suddi said: “The one who brings the truth” is Gabriel, who brought the Quran, while “and confirms it” refers to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, who received it in acceptance. Al-Kalbi and Abu al-Aliyah said: “The one who brings the truth” is the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and “confirms it” is Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. Qatadah and Muqatil said: “The one who brings the truth” is the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and “confirms it” refers to the believers, as indicated by His saying, exalted is He: “They are the God-fearing.”
Ata said: “The one who brings the truth” refers to the prophets, and “confirms it” to their followers. In that case, “the one who” carries the meaning of “those who,” just as in His saying, exalted is He: “Their likeness is that of one who kindled a fire” (al-Baqarah, 17), then He says, “Allah took away their light” (al-Baqarah, 17). Al-Hasan said: They are the believers: they affirmed it in this world and brought it with them into the Hereafter. In the recitation of Abdullah ibn Masud: “And those who bring the truth and confirm it.” “They are the God-fearing.”
“They will have whatever they wish with their Lord. That is the reward of those who do good: so that Allah may erase from them the worst of what they did”—that is, He conceals it from them through forgiveness—“and reward them according to the best of what they used to do.” Muqatil said: He rewards them for the good deeds they performed, and does not recompense them for their evil deeds.
His saying, exalted is He, “Is Allah not sufficient for His servant?” means Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Abu Jafar, Hamzah, and al-Kisai recited it in the plural, “His servants,” meaning the prophets, peace be upon them. Their peoples intended evil against them, just as He says: “Every community intended to seize its messenger” (Ghafir, 5), but Allah protected them from the evil of those who opposed them. “Yet they seek to frighten you with those besides Him”: they sought to frighten the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, with the harm that their idols might inflict. They said, “You must stop reviling our gods, or else you will be afflicted by them with derangement or madness.” “And whoever Allah leaves astray will have no guide.”